YSL defendant Christian Eppinger sentenced to decades in prison
YSL RICO case ends with one last plea deal
Christian Eppinger, the last defendant in the high-profile YSL RICO case, entered a non-negotiated Alford plea Monday, receiving a 75-year sentence with 40 years to serve in prison
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - With the final smack of the gavel today, the massive YSL RICO case has come to a close. The last defendant, Christian Eppinger, pled guilty just as his trial was set to begin, resulting in a sentence of decades behind bars. This marked an anti-climactic ending to the long-running case.
What we know:
Christian Eppinger avoided a jury trial by entering a non-negotiated Alford plea, which allowed him to plead guilty while maintaining his innocence. He faced multiple charges, including two counts of attempted murder and RICO violations. Eppinger was accused of shooting Atlanta Police Officer David Rodgers six times in 2022, an incident captured on police body cam footage and played during the hearing.
What they're saying:
Sgt. Will Johnson, who was on the scene during the shooting, described the event as an execution attempt and urged Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker to impose the maximum sentence. "He was trying to fight. He wanted to kill this officer and he made every attempt to do it," Johnson stated.
Eppinger's attorney, Eric Johnson, argued that his client could have inflicted more harm but did not, suggesting Eppinger's actions were not as severe as they could have been.
"He could have shot him in his chest or he could have shot him directly in his head and there was nothing preventing him from doing that, nothing," Johnson told the judge.
Judge Whitaker, however, dismissed this argument, stating, "Maybe he’s a bad shot."
Already serving a 45-year sentence for armed robbery, Eppinger received an additional 75-year sentence, with 40 years to be served concurrently with his existing conviction. Judge Whitaker cited strong evidence against Eppinger, including video footage and his apparent lack of remorse, as reasons for the harsh sentence. "He never learned his lesson, not once," remarked Simone Hylton, Fulton County Executive District Attorney.
The other side:
Eppinger’s attorney labeled the case a "witch hunt," expressing disappointment with the severity of the sentence but acknowledging its fairness given the circumstances and evidence. "I think she made a sentence that was a little harsher than what we wanted, but fair, based on all the facts and circumstances and the evidence that would have come out at trial," Johnson commented.
YSL Trial: Judge Whitaker sentences Christian Eppinger | FULL
Judge Paige Whitaker formally sentenced Christian Eppinger, the last standing defendant in the YSL RICO trial, after he entered an Alford plea on June 9, 2025.
The backstory:
Over the past two weeks, two of the final three defendants in the sprawling RICO (Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations) case accepted plea agreements, leaving Eppinger, 25, as the last man standing out of the original 28 defendants charged under Georgia’s racketeering statute. His case drew significant attention, not only for its ties to the YSL investigation but also because of the serious violent charges he faces.
Eppinger was accused of shooting Atlanta Police Officer David Rodgers six times in 2022 as Rodgers, a veteran member of the department’s gang unit, attempted to serve an arrest warrant. One of the bullets struck Rodgers in the back of the head. Eppinger also faced accusations of stabbing another inmate while in custody at the Fulton County Jail in 2023.
Earlier this year, Eppinger rejected a plea deal that would have sentenced him to life in prison.
Eppinger faced a long list of charges, including:
- Violation of Georgia’s RICO Act
- Armed robbery
- First-degree hijacking of a motor vehicle
- Two counts of attempted murder
- Multiple counts of possession of a firearm by a first offender probationer
- Participation in criminal street gang activity
- Conspiracy to commit a crime
MOST RECENT STORIES
- YSL trial to end without any murder convictions after defendant takes plea deal
- YSL defendant Damekion Garlington sentenced after murder charge dropped
- Atlanta rapper Yak Gotti heads home from Fulton County Jail
- Judge rules Young Thug's social media post doesn't violate probation
- Young Thug could lose his probation deal | Here's what we know
A Trial Full of Delays and Chaos
The backstory:
The YSL trial has gone down as the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia’s history. Jury selection alone took 10 months. The trial lasted nearly two years and featured testimony from around 200 witnesses. It was plagued by disruptions, including witness intimidation, arrests of both jurors and attorneys, the replacement of the original judge, and even a stabbing incident involving a defendant in custody.
On Oct. 31, 2024, Atlanta rapper Young Thug, real name Jeffery Williams, pleaded guilty to gang and drug charges. He was sentenced to time served, 15 years of probation, and ordered to stay out of metro Atlanta for a decade (some of those conditions have since been modified).
In December, Yak Gotti (Deamonte Kendrick) and Shannon Stillwell faced a jury verdict. Gotti was acquitted of all charges. Stillwell was convicted only of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He received a 10-year sentence, but with credit for time served. He is serving the remainder on probation.
RELATED: YSL RICO Trial: Verdicts reached for Deamonte Kendrick (Yak Gotti), Shannon Stillwell
Bigger Questions Still Linger
Big picture view:
The YSL case sparked widespread debate over Georgia’s use of the RICO law and the role of rap lyrics and social media in criminal investigations. Prosecutors presented music videos and lyrics as evidence of gang affiliation, while defense attorneys pushed back, arguing that artistic expression was being unfairly criminalized.
Though prosecutors secured several convictions and plea deals, the mixed outcomes left questions about the strength of their broader narrative—that YSL was more than just a music label.